I used to bake frequently but the past 20 years only on occassion maybe 6 times a year. I would like to get back into baking but I am struggling with my apt oven. Cookies, breads and muffins etc tend to burn on the bottom before they are done. I found out the oven was about 50 degrees off so made that adjustment and it only helped a little. I am thinking now it might be best to preheat maybe 100 degrees above normal and adjust to normal when I put the goods in the oven. Has anyone tried this? Experimenting is getting a bit expensive.
Do you happen to have any silicone bakeware? They conduct heat less efficiently than metal or glass pans, which would mitigate the problem of bottoms browning too quickly. If you don’t already have some, the investment in a small tray (as an experiment) shouldn’t be prohibitively expensive.
I don’t mind investing in good bakeware. I just hate ruining food. A little bit ago I put a pan on the lower shelf with water in it and I got some decent cooking. I had a thin pan under the muffin pan originaly when they burned. I wasn’t even aware of silicone bakeware. I will look into it.
Oven thermometer. Always.
Also, if you’re in an apartment complex or a place with other units, the management may swap out the oven for you. I’ve done this at apartments where the oven was way off.